One of the hardest parts of being a new vegan (or even an old seasoned vegan) is trying to keep up with all the new products out there. I must have spent over $50 looking for the "right" vegan cheese my first year being a vegan and I have over 50 vegan/vegetarian cookbooks in my arsenal but not all the recipes are the greatest. I’m the first born so I’m used to being a Guinea Pig and now I’m your Vegan Guinea Pig. So here are my recommendations and critiques. Let me know what you think!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Every once in a while people will comment that I'm too harsh in my cookbook reviews. I must beg to disagree. I am exceedingly passionate about great, innovative vegan food. There are so many authors out there who create masterpieces in the kitchen with simple ingredients that you don't have to break out your 1980's edition of Encyclopedia Britannica to decipher. I am in the unique position that I get to read and cook from the majority of the new vegan cookbooks on the market so I get the opportunity to see and eat some amazing recipes and so not so amazing recipes. The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude by Brian L. Patton is one of those innovative, outstanding cookbooks.

I've been knee deep in a world of babies, book writing and school so I'm out of the loop on who the new hot young vegan talents are so I have to admit I've never heard of Brian Patton before. I don't know if he's a blogger, tv personality, or just (as the title of the book says) and ordinary dude who woke up one day cooking his heart out. One thing I can tell you for sure is he is an artist in the kitchen and, I have to say, I like his personality. Anybody who starts their book off with cocktails and calls them the most important meal of the day is a friend of mine. Patton's onion dip is so sweet and tangy I want it on everything, his balls are nutty yet filling (no really, he has a recipe called my balls that is made of walnuts and they have a great earthy walnutty flavor). His recipe for Curried Fried Tofu Salad makes me unnaturally happy and his Cauliflower and Roasted Fennel soup was not only a hit with me but my 6 month old daughter loves it as well. We used purple cauliflower to make it even more fun. But my all time favorite recipe from this book, that makes this book a must have is the Pretend Canadian Bacon. It is brilliant! Just brilliant! I've used the marinade on super firm tofu as well as tempeh, both baked and fried variations and they were a party in my mouth every time. The publishers were kind enough to let me share the recipe with you. So without further ado - Pretend Canadian Bacon!

Pretend Canadian Bacon

Makes 12 slices

One 16-ounce block super-firm tofu (or one
14-ounce block very-well-drained extra-firm tofu; see Tip below and Tip on next
page)

1/2 cup low-sodium tamari or
soy sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Cut the block of
tofu into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Then cut the pieces into 1/8-inch-thick
slices. (If you want to
get fancy, you can use a round cookie cutter or pint glass to cut circular
slices, but that will leave excess that will go to waste.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari,
liquid smoke, maple syrup, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour the mixture
into a large zip-top bag, add the tofu slices, gently slosh them around so they
get coated, squeeze the bag to suck out as much of the air as possible, and
place the bag in the fridge to let the tofu marinate for at least 3 hours but
no more than 5 hours.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high
heat. Place as many slices as you wish (without overcrowding) into the hot pan,
and fry until browned on one side (3 to 4 minutes), then flip and repeat. Cook
the bacon in batches if you need to. If you would like to freeze the uncooked
slices, use the same freezing method as with the Tempeh Bacon (see recipe, page
32) to preserve these for up to a month.

TIP

Super-firm tofu has the least amount of
water of all the tofus. This allows it to hold together very well for grilling
or broiling. When very well drained, some extra-firm tofu can get pretty close
to the texture of the super-firm tofu, so it’s a manageable substitute.

TIP

Drain that tofu!!

There’s a ton of water in that block, and we
have no use for it. Take the block out of the water it’s packed in, and place
it on a plate. Then put another plate on top of it and add something heavy on
top of that plate, like a couple of cans of beans. Let it drain for 30 to 60
minutes — the longer, the better. Discard the water and proceed with your
preparations.

You definitely don't want to leave out the liquid smoke. The liquid smoke along with the smoked paprika really make the dish. Liquid smoke is incredibly easy to find in any grocery store near the steak sauce.

I've checked this book out repeatedly from my local library since they had a bright, shiny new copy on display for World Vegetarian month not long ago. I guess it's time to get my own copy. Brian knows what he's talking about!!! I am on my third attempt at being a vegan and thanks to the innovative ideas of vegan recipes like Brian's, I think veganism may stick this time.